Skip Beat Ever After
by Vortex82
Summary: Skip Beat with a fairy tail twist to the tale
1. Once Upon A Time 1

_**Disclaimer**_ _:_ I own nothing for the duration.

 _ **Summary:**_ Skip Beat with a sort-of, kind-of fairytale twist.

Reviews and constructive criticism would be gratefully received – if you spot a typo or grammatical glitch and would care enough to point it out to me then I would love to know about it. Seriously, if you have a comment or suggestion to leave via review or PM I would like to know and would consider it an honour if anyone took the time to let me know their thoughts. I like to hear "this is great" (okay, I admit my ego and I kinda love to hear that lol) and hate to hear a simple "this sucks" flame of course, but what I truly love to hear is "this could be made better by...".

This was started a while ago and is probably AU by now, but I would still love to know what you think. It's been a little while since I dabbled in this fandom but the characters still haunt me lol.

Above all, thank you for taking the time to read my work :)

* * *

 **Once Upon A Time... Part 1**

The news travelled quickly throughout the kingdom of show business and it was mere hours after Yamada Megumi announced her retirement from portraying Lady Heaven, the face and public figurehead of Heaven Scent Perfumeries, that every actress in the land degenerated into a slavering predatory creature of burning ambition to become her replacement.

Megumi was an actress more than a model and had helped make Heaven Scent the top perfumery in Japan thanks to the famously intricate commercials that only a talented few could hope to match for the depth of feeling and sheer ability she poured into such a miniscule timeframe.

A follow-up announcement of a gruelling series of auditions to decide the next Lady Heaven for the launch of the new Heaven Scent range was hardly needed as most had already reached this conclusion by themselves, but it came nonetheless. Alliances were broken and former friends now eyed each other fiercely, one thought only echoing in their minds: there can be only one... _and it's gonna be me!_

The frenzy was only fed by a staggering rumour. Heaven Scent Perfumeries was, like a number of other fashion and beauty related companies, owned in turn by the corporate giant Seventh Heaven. Jewellery, clothing lines, footwear, makeup, skin and hair care products… the list went on. Heaven Scent, being the first and largest of the child companies, was the only one to have a static public face to represent it. At least, it had been until now.

The other companies had started off as small branches of the original at the time of Lady Heaven's first appearance but had since grown to leading brand names in their own right. The rumour currently circulating was that whoever snagged the title of Lady Heaven would not become the public representative of just Heaven Scent Perfumeries, but of Seventh Heaven in its _entirety_.

To say this was big was like saying the ocean was damp; technically accurate but an understatement of biblical proportions.

The prestige of being the sole representative of such a large and well-known conglomerate, not to mention the real probability of becoming a household name pretty much overnight, generated a flood of savage bloodlust the like of which had not been seen before in living memory. The moon was full and madness hung thick in the air. Not even the most stalwart hero of the action genre or his brave stunt double dared step in the path of any eligible young maid during the legendary stampede to access the internet signup sheets.

They barely paused to read the information on the website before entering their names and searing the date, time and location of the audition into their memories – some wrote it out in triplicate or saved it on their computers while others simply carved it into the flesh of any easily-accessible relatives. As such it was more through word of mouth that the format became known.

First, there would be seven trials, each testing for an as yet unknown quality or skill, and second was the marking scheme. An assessing panel of judges had been assembled, each with a vested interest in the outcome.

No one was much interested in the president of Seventh Heaven or its marketing manager, and only a few cared who would be providing the voice over for the planned commercials or which director would be working on them, but the name of the actor who had already been contracted to provide the male lead almost initiated a hurricane as every young actress in Japan exhaled dreamily as one.

Tsuruga Ren, the best looking male celebrity in Japan, would be acting alongside the one chosen as Lady Heaven in the upcoming campaign. There was much rejoicing, more swooning and a few very deliberate attempts to incapacitate possible rivals. Excitement brewed and flights to Tokyo were booked. Anticipation caused such squeals and tremblings that therapists wondered at the sudden boom in appointments made by concerned parents and loved ones.

And then disaster struck.

A great plague swept across the land, and half the country was forced to take to their beds with a rather nasty cold. It sapped energy and inflicted a blotchy complexion, sweaty skin and such a puffy face and neck that would make any sort of audition impossible. Doctors were harassed and hounded until they gave up the vital information that this particular brand of sniffles would likely keep a person incapacitated for about two weeks if they took proper care of themselves.

Fear descended with the auditions only three weeks away and the epidemic only just begun. Efforts were divided between trying to contract it early in an attempt to get it out of the way and trying to avoid it to the point of near disowning family members. By the time the auditions were only days away, only eighty-percent of the signups at most were in any fit state to attend.

In LME's Love Me department, the casualty rate was unfortunately complete. Kotonami Kanae was lucky in that she was filming on location in Hawaii for three weeks and managed to miss the outbreak, though unlucky in that the same filming kept her out of Japan during the auditions. Amamiya Chiori was struck down just a week before they were set to begin and was still in no fit state to show her red and swollen face in public.

Mogami Kyoko was freshly recovered after a stint in bed that was shorter than most due to the sensible care she took of herself. With the auditions starting in just one day she was in perfect health, but unfortunately had not been able to sign up before the closing date.

Believing herself disqualified from taking part, it was with great regret and a heavy heart that she entered the LME building for the first time after her recovery. Even Kyoko was having trouble keeping her faith in magic at this point; both Christmas and her upcoming 18th birthday were not looking set to be all that merry in face of this disappointment. Still, her faith in the fantastical was as strong as the hugs she gave to Moko-san when the other girl didn't dodge in time, which was to say pretty damn resolute. Kyoko would not be disheartened beyond the bare minimum in face of such events.

Perhaps this was why fate saw fit to sprinkle down just a little enchantment into her life.


	2. Once Upon A Time 2

_**Disclaimer**_ _:_ I own nothing for the duration.

 _ **Summary:**_ Skip Beat with a sort-of fairytale twist.

Reviews and constructive criticism would be gratefully received – if you spot a typo or grammatical glitch and would be kind enough to point it out to me I would love to know about it. Thank you for taking the time to read :)

* * *

 **Once Upon A Time... Part 2**

Never had Kyoko seen a more harried creature than Sawara-san that clear and chilly Wednesday morning. His hair was mussed and his tie askew, and the shadow of stubble on his jaw suggested he hadn't left the office the previous night. Sympathy welled within her and she couldn't bring herself to refuse the request he made of her, even if was something that made her cringe.

An actress needed an assistant. The one first assigned had fallen to the cold that was sweeping the country ten days ago and her replacement had called in sick this morning. Sawara practically begged for her to stand in for the rest of the week starting today, just until her original assistant had recovered in full, as he had no one else to ask. Normally she would have agreed at once, but hesitancy crept into her voice when she learned the actress in question was none other than Kamio Kimiko.

Memories of a minus-ten stamp being planted into her face bubbled to the front of her mind and it was with great trepidation that she made her way to the parking lot where Kamio-san was reportedly waiting for her. Perhaps, she thought, clinging to her last ray of desperate hope, perhaps things would go better this time. Kyoko hadn't made the best first impression so the elder actress could be forgiven for taking an initial dislike to her. Surely Kamio-san would give her a second chance and if she was lucky the woman wouldn't even remember her at all.

Remaining dubious but cheered a little by the idea, Kyoko stepped out into parking lot to greet her new assignment. All her hopes were dashed by one impatiently tapping foot and a look of utter revilement.

"You!" Kamio-san exclaimed, causing Kyoko to back up a step at the vehemence in her tone. "I specifically asked for someone competent, and Sawara sends me this moronic pink monstrosity?"

"I'm sorry, I-"

"Quiet!" Kamio-san barked over her protests. "Couldn't you at least wear something that doesn't require everyone in the near vicinity to wear sunglasses?"

"But it's my uniform... I can change if-"

Kamio-san cut her off again, this time with a frustrated snort. "There's no time! I'd hoped to arrive earlier than we're going to now thanks to you so just get in the car and try not to blind the driver."

"I'm sorry, I came as soon as Sawara-san told me to meet you." Kyoko fretted, by now so unnerved that she tripped as she tried to follow Kamio-san into the back of the car and ended up face-planting in her lap. "I'm sorry!"

"You idiot! Where are those stamp things?"

It was well into the journey and two minus-ten stamps later that Kyoko got up the nerve to ask their destination. She regretted it immediately as Kamio-san sent her a special sort of look usually reserved for small children and known halfwits.

"You're an actress, aren't you?" she asked after a visible effort to contain an outburst.

"Er, yes?" Kyoko said quietly, her disconcerted tone making it more of a question than a statement.

"Exactly how serious are you? Unless you're just playing around with trying to be famous then you'd know I'm part of the largest audition being held for years. I'm on the judging panel for selecting the new face of Heaven Scent."

"Really?"

"Yes. All the panel have a vested interest in the commercial campaign that'll run after the new Lady Heaven is chosen. I'm providing the voice over." she said with no small amount of pride. "I'm surprised you're so ignorant, but I'm shocked you haven't signed up to audition. Did you think you didn't stand a chance?"

On the defensive, Kyoko crossed her arms and tried to hide her mounting dislike. "I was going to. I heard about the auditions and prepared for them, but I don't have a computer at home. I got sick before I could get access to the online signups at LME so I missed the deadline and was never able to check the full details." she muttered. "All I heard about them was from other people and what they considered important information. They didn't mention you."

Kamio-san gave her another negative stamp for impertinence and lapsed into a furious silence for the rest of the journey. Only after they had arrived did she snarl out an order for Kyoko to carry her bag and follow her in to a building with a huge "Seventh Heaven" sign over the door. Kyoko had a strong suspicion the woman knew just how heavy it was even as Kamio-san berated her for being lazy and lagging behind, but chose a strategy of unhappy muteness to avoid further minus stamps. It had been a long time since she'd gotten any sort of stamp and had forgotten how demoralising it was to receive the negative variety.

After a brief respite where she was able to set it down as Kamio-san negotiated with a receptionist, they were off again at a moderate gallop. She managed six corridors and two flights of stairs before her arms lost all feeling, but luckily by that point they had arrived at their destination in a meeting room with a cheerful colour scheme and several potted plants. Kamio-san ignored her as she caught her panting breath in favour of greeting the three strange individuals who stood and offered handshakes as soon as she entered.

The first was a bespectacled woman who walked with a bounce and smiled constantly in a manner that suggested she knew some fascinating secret the rest of the world did not. She wore her hair in a casual knot and dressed in clothes of a demure and elegant cut but glaring animal-prints.

The tubby young man beside her appeared to be her polar opposite both in girth and fashion sense, dressed as he was in obscure shades of dark grey. He held a lacy handkerchief ready to mop his damp forehead at regular intervals and dab at his upper lip around a waxed moustache that greatly resembled a glistening slug.

Finally there was a tall, well-built man who reminded Kyoko of a retired boxer with his square jaw and crooked nose. His jet hair was streaked with grey and though his face showed his age his eyes were stern and sharp. He wore an expensive suit, tasteful gold jewellery and a pair of truly extraordinary eyebrows.

"Kimiko, thank you for making time in your busy schedule to join us today. We've spoken a number of times on the phone but it's an honour to meet you in person." the animal-print woman gushed, her whole body bobbing in something resembling a courtesy. "I'm Ikeda Nanami of course, and may I also introduce the president of Seventh Heaven, Otani Hideyuki, and our head of marketing, Sugita Goh." she added, pointing first to Eyebrows then to Slug-Moustache.

"Pleased to meet you." Kamio-san said with a slight bow.

There was a moment of expectant silence as three sets of eyes turned to Kyoko. Suddenly finding herself the centre of attention while gaping in open disbelief at the bushiest eyebrows she'd ever seen, Kyoko dropped into a deep bow and almost toppled face first to the floor when she forgot about the weight of the bag.

"This is Kyoko. An actress." Kamio-san said with a certain measure of incredulity.

Nanami chuckled. "Thought you'd get a drop on the opposition? I admire the plan but today is just for setting up and a meeting between the judging panel. I'm afraid no one in the audition or who isn't directly associated with a panel member will be allowed to attend."

"Oh no!" Kyoko squeaked, bolting upright. "I wouldn't do anything like that and Kamio-san would never allow it even if I would. I'm going to assist Kamio-san for the rest of the week and I'm not registered to take part in the auditions. I mean, I wanted to of course, but unfortunately I got sick and wasn't able to sign up before the deadline." she babbled before Kimiko cut her off with a loud and obviously fake cough.

Nanami tittered into her hand. "Actually it's not too late. This cold epidemic hit at the worst time possible for us – we're expecting a lot of no-shows tomorrow when we start off the auditions – so we've relaxed the entry conditions a bit to allow for situations such as yours. We've updated the site with the information; we'll admit a late entry up to four pm on the first day of auditions as long as none of the judges objects to the participant." Nanami said around her perpetual smile and turned to Kamio-san. "Just in case, perhaps Kyoko-san shouldn't join you in the meeting today?"

Kamio-san's left eye twitched and she cleared her throat. "Well, that might be wise, though I think it would be best to see what the other judges say before making any decisions."

Kyoko sighed, feeling the hope that had briefly soared within her slam right back into the ground. She wasn't really listening as Kamio-san guided her out of office, but the older woman's expression as she whirled to face her once no one was watching certainly made her focus.

"Hey! Are you paying attention?"

Kyoko jumped and dropped the bag. Kamio-san let out a growl of a sigh.

"Now, I'm still not convinced you're not mentally deficient, let alone that you're even serious about being an actress. I don't want to stand in the way of anyone's career based on my personal feelings, but I will not allow you to participate in this audition if I think there's the slightest chance that you'll embarrass me or LME. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Good. For now, set up my things in there – I'll need my diary, notebook and a pen from the leather case on top – then find me a coffee – milk, one sugar. I'll think about what you can do to convince me that allowing you to enter this audition won't be a huge mistake and let you know." Kamio-san said, not waiting for Kyoko to reply before stalking back into the meeting room.

She scrambled after the woman and fished out the requested stationary. Placing the items on the table next to Kamio-san, she bolted out to hunt down a vending machine with hope not quite soaring in her heart but at least fluttering just off the ground.


	3. Once Upon a Time 3

_**Disclaimer**_ _:_ I own nothing for the duration.

 _ **Summary:**_ Skip Beat with a sort-of fairytale twist.

Sorry for the delay on this chapter, I had a change of mind and had to go back and rewrite some bits.

Reviews and constructive criticism would be gratefully received – if you spot a typo or grammatical glitch and would be kind enough to point it out to me I would love to know about it. Thank you for taking the time to read :)

* * *

 **Once Upon A Time... Part 3**

Ren was not in the best of moods when he arrived at Seventh Heaven headquarters for his first meeting of panel judges. Yashiro merrily put his vague ill-humour down to the fact he hadn't seen Kyoko for over two weeks. This prognosis had irritated him no end, largely because it was accurate.

He had spoken to her a few times since she had fallen to the cold but had been denied visitation rights by the object of his affections despite his determination to check on her health. She had fought most unfairly with reason and logic, saying that he would probably get ill as well if he came to see her, and he had been forced to agree with her. He'd said it with crossed-fingers, but even that had been rendered void when she delivered the final blow of saying she'd never forgive herself if she infected him too in a weakly gentle tone.

The visions Yashiro had planted in his brain of caring for her as he had vague recollections of her doing for him in the past had been dashed, leaving him only with unsavoury feelings for the man that had stirred up his imagination in the first place.

During one of their calls she had sadly told him she had missed the signup deadline and he was in a doubly sour mood due to the fact he had not been able to think of a way to help her. Well, at least not one where it wasn't blatantly obvious she'd received special favour from him which would be undesirable for more reasons than he cared to count.

He of course clicked on a professional smile the moment he stepped into the meeting room a somewhat star-struck receptionist had directed him to and was introduced to the greeting party from Seventh Heaven. His attention was distracted by a flash of pink and one double-take later he confirmed he was not imagining things. With a slightly more genuine smile and accompanied by the giggles of his manager because of his suddenly brighter mood, he tried to focus on the matter at hand and resolved to track her down as soon as possible afterwards.

The feeling of helplessness returned after a brief chat with Kamio Kimiko and he barely held back the urge to list every good quality Kyoko possessed in full and graphic detail. He was still biting his tongue when a rather scruffy individual entered and took the last remaining seat around the table.

The untidy man was introduced as Kurosaki, the contracted director for the commercial campaign once the new Lady Heaven was selected, and Ren realised why the name and face were vaguely familiar to him – he had been the director for the Kyurara commercial that had been Kyoko's first job.

Once everyone was secure in the knowledge of who everyone else was, the production manager, Ikeda Nanami, stood up and straightened her tiger-striped skirt.

"Right, well I think we should start at the beginning and go over the format for the auditions and the reasoning behind that format. We at Seventh Heaven have a very clear idea of what we're looking for in the new Lady Heaven, so our representatives will have final say throughout the selection process. However, the three of you all have reputations for professionalism that cannot be ignored and as such we believe your input into the selection process will be invaluable. Each of you also has a vested interest in the final pick and so should have some control over the outcome. If any member of the judging panel has a valid reason for rejecting any participant then they will be dismissed immediately without the need to disclose the exact reason so please bear this in mind. I'm sure I don't need to tell you that personal feelings alone should not enter into any such decision."

She paused to take a sip of water and everyone around the table gave a nod of agreement. "There will be a total of seven auditions, each of which is designed to test for a different ability or skill and will be held in a particular format. Lady Heaven will become the face of Seventh Heaven and the main star of all our advertising campaigns, but will also need to perform other tasks not usually expected of a straight-up model so we need a competent and adaptable actress more than a competent model, and we certainly have no need for a bimbette who looks good in a thong. Looks are vital of course, but above a general baseline that the early auditions will set other attributes become more important. Lady Heaven does a lot of interviews, ceremonies and novelty stuff like the odd mini-series or cross-promotional work so she needs to have a brain and real acting talent. Basically, in terms of appearance, we just want to weed out the heffers."

A few startled splutters and chuckles broke out and Nanami took another sip of water while she waited for these to die down. "This is all the first two auditions are for in effect; weeding before we can start on the pruning. Each audition is themed and serves the dual purpose of identifying candidates with the right skills, but also the right qualities – Lady Heaven is our poster girl, but she is also an integral employee of the company and a member of the Seventh Heaven family."

Nanami paused to send her boss a quick smile, to which he nodded back approvingly.

"The first audition is themed 'Elegance' and has the participants waltzing for three minutes in groups of seven. Each participant will bring their own clothes and do their own hair and makeup for this one, but we'll be providing the shoes. Lady Heaven must be able to cope with high heels at the most basic level and we want our head stylist to meet them all even briefly – don't tell anyone that though." she said with a wink.

"The idea is that the applicants should be able to choose appropriate attire and have basic skills for seeing to their own appearance. Lady Heaven needs to look acceptable even before the professionals get to her and have some sense in dressing herself off company time. Her personal life and professional career off Heaven Scent time is of course her own concern for the most part, but we've no interest in anyone whose private lifestyle is, shall we say, too greatly removed from the professional image of Lady Heaven. It may sound harsh, but we say no to sluts, frumps, media sensationalists and coke-heads."

Ren grimaced. He'd been lucky enough to work with consummate professions for most of his LME career, but he'd had enough brushes with the seedier side of show business to be in full agreement. He shook off the bad memories and returned his focus to Nanami.

"She has to be striking, even without the help of professionals, and able to leave an impression in a short space of time – anyone who can't stand out in a group won't make the cut. For this first round, we'll ask that you choose a first, second and third place from each group of seven. We'll sort out your scores and use them to decide who makes it to the second round along with the input from any 'secret judges' we might have lurking around."

Ren raised a brow. "Secret judges?"

"Yes. Seventh Heaven isn't like most big companies. It started out as a small family business, and though we've grown over the years it's important to us that we, how can I put it, preserve the family atmosphere. The people in this room will have the final vote, but there are other valued members of the Seventh Heaven family that we want to make sure have some say in the selection process. They may be behind the scenes, but our president would never be easy if we didn't take their opinions into account at all."

The president of Seventh Heaven suddenly offered up the kind of smile that softened his stern features for a moment. The effect was somewhat shocking and more than a little scary if Ren was honest. The man looked like a Yakuza boss and any sort of gentleness seemed astonishingly out of place. Nanami adjusted her glasses with a smile of her own and checked her pad before speaking again.

"In terms of numbers, we were expecting over six-hundred entrants though with this wretched cold that's been going round I think we'll end up with closer to four-to-five-hundred. However many participate, we need to cut the total down to two-hundred for the second audition. After that each audition will serve to eliminate about half each time until we arrive at just one after the seventh. Any questions so far?"

"Are you planning to get through the first audition in its entirety tomorrow? All five hundred-odd people?" Kurosaki asked with a raised brow.

"Yes. We understand you all have other commitments and wanted to avoid dragging things out. The numbers are high for the first audition, but with the format I've described we're hoping for five minutes per group of seven – three minutes for the dance itself and a minute each for getting the participants on and off the dance floor. There might be some delays, but we're planning to get through around 80 per hour."

Kurosaki nodded and scribbled a note on his pad as Nanami continued.

"All the auditions should require the presence of the judges for no more than two days each at most, and the whole thing will be over in exactly three weeks from tomorrow. We've left out the weekends and there's at least one free day between them. We've arranged things to fit in with your schedules as much as we can. Some will be more intense than others, and there will always be refreshments provided. Regardless of end time, after a session you will always have until two pm the following day to deliberate and submit your conclusions online if you don't manage to do it in person on the day itself. We've already set up forms and logins to make this as easy and painless as possible. I'll hand out the details at the end of this meeting, and of course you should not disclose your usernames or passwords to anyone else."

"It sounds like you've gone to a lot of trouble for our sakes, so thank you for that." Ren said politely. "Regarding the specifics of what you're looking for, do you have a list of all the desired qualities and skills for us to be aware of during all the auditions?"

"Actually, the plan is to keep them secret. Even the president and Sugida won't know what each audition is testing for until the day. I want you all to focus on only looking for a couple of checklist items at a time rather than the whole thing, which is one of the reasons I'm not serving on the judging panel myself. Each audition after the first will have one or two categories for you to score the candidates on a one-to-seven rating system, but you won't learn what those categories are until that particular session begins. In all the auditions, you can mark down a participant at any time for any and all negative qualities. Things like rudeness, inappropriate behaviour, vulgarity and so on – we will provide you a full list of the negatives before we begin, though you will likely be able to discern these for yourselves. There will be a couple of others who will be contributing to the judging process as I've mentioned, but we'll be keeping them secret too."

Ren bristled at the implication that he was unable to focus on more than three things at once but grudgingly admitted the logic in the strategy.

"Obviously we must ask you to remain objective throughout the audition despite any affiliations you may have with the candidates. You will probably know many of them through prior experience, through your agencies or just on a social level. We have no objections to any sort of relationship you might have with any of them of course, your personal lives are no business of ours and we trust that you are professionals who will not allow such things to influence your professional judgement." Nanami said then frowned thoughtfully as she glanced at her pad, somehow managing to retain her painted smile throughout her facial realignment.

"The last item on my agenda to cover is regarding late entrants. As you may have already read on our website, due to the flu epidemic we've decided to allow them as long as none of the judges objects to a participant. A list will be circulated every hour if we have any new signups arrive on the day and you need only put a cross next to anyone you want to reject. We'll take care of the rest, whether it's to kick them out or get them scheduled. Now that's everything that I wanted to cover – do any of you have anything you'd like to raise?"

"Just out of interest, what's with the number seven popping up everywhere? It seems an unusual number to pick." Kimiko asked.

Nanami let out a giggle that was echoed by Sugida of the slug-moustache. "Our president is very superstitious, just look at the company name. He likes it when we incorporate the number seven wherever possible."

Ren sat through a few more inane questions about catering and schedules, trying not to fidget as they were answered and the meeting was wrapped up. He picked up his online account details then left the room with Kurosaki and the two Seventh Heaven judges while Kimiko stayed behind to speak to Nanami about something in private.

He said a polite goodbye as the president of Seventh Heaven excused himself and his eyes immediately scanned around for a certain pink-clad young actress. Kurosaki spotted her first, and Ren bristled a little at the way the man smiled and called out to her.

He was able to summon up a smile as she bounded over to greet them both, though it faltered slightly at her fond announcement that she remembered Kurosaki and his grinning reaction. He fought the ridiculous urge to stand a little closer to her and put all his concentration in to listening as she related her current situation.

"I'm not sure what Kamio-san has in mind, but I'll definitely try my best! I just hope that if I get her approval then none of the other judges will object to me." she finished her summary, tone plummeting from burning enthusiasm to fretful insecurity.

Kurosaki was quick to laugh and shake his head. "I don't think there'll be any problem there – it was a pleasure working with you before so you certainly have my vote."

Her face lit up and Ren struggled to keep control of his expression; his face was threatening to squirm into something quite unpleasant. His relationship with Kyoko was so up in the air that he couldn't help but see every man she interacted with as a threat even if there was nothing more than friendship or professional admiration involved. It was tiring, and he found himself wishing not for the first time that he could just shut off his feelings at will and act in a normal and mature way without having to force himself. He fought back a sigh and tried to think of something constructive to say to encourage her.

"As long as you perform to the best of your abilities and don't provide a reason for anyone to doubt your dedication or professionalism then I'm sure there will be no objections from the other judges either, myself included." he said

Kyoko nodded, her face not quite lit up but showing perhaps a little more confidence than blind fervour. "Thank you Tsuruga-san, I'll keep that in mind."

Ren would have liked to spend more time with her – ideally alone – but apparently Kamio Kimiko had other plans. She appeared without warning and elbowed her way past the two men, carrying her own bag for once, then whisked Kyoko away by the scruff of her neck before anyone had a chance to react.

Ren sighed at the interruption and mentally sent Kyoko a silent 'good luck' as he went in search of his manager to leave for his next job.

* * *

The abduction happened so fast that Kyoko was just now catching up with things. One minute she was talking to Kurosaki-san and Tsuruga-san and the next she was fighting to keep her balance while running backwards as Kamio-san spontaneously decided to drag her off to an unknown location at unreasonable speed.

As suddenly as she'd grabbed her, the actress released her grip and Kyoko found herself tumbling into the car. She barely had time to right herself on the backseat before Kamio-san was right next to her, slamming the door and ordering the driver back to LME. The car began to move as the older woman slowly turned a look of pure venom on her.

Kyoko gulped audibly and tried to maintain her composure under the intense glare.

"Here!"

Kyoko automatically reached out and took the folded paper that Kamio-san thrust out towards her without breaking eye contact.

"I worked everything out with Ikeda. This is a list of tasks for you to do tomorrow. If you can finish them before four pm to an agreeable standard then I'll let you sign up without objection."

Kyoko was finally able to tear her eyes away from Kamio-san's in order to inspect the paper. There were seven lines scrawled, each of them listing a particularly menial or demeaning activity that most would balk at being asked to perform.

"If you can get through that lot without whining or complaining then you'll have proved to me how serious you are. Be at the studio early tomorrow to start, unless you've changed your mind on seeing what's expected of you?" Kamio-san said, a sneer forming towards the end of her sentence.

Kyoko barely noticed as that sneer fell away in favour of horrified surprise. She supposed it was the dark aura swirling around her, but she couldn't spare it much thought right now. This piece of paper was her lifeline, and she was not going to let anything ruin her chance.

Most people would grimace at being asked to do the sorts of things listed here, they were hardly glamorous and she got the idea they were designed to be unpleasant, but Kyoko was not most people. All she could see in this list were things she could do, and do well. She was grinning a terrible grin with her wild gaze locked on to the paper and she couldn't imagine what Kamio-san must be thinking when even Kyoko herself was left wondering how it was escaping spontaneous incineration.

"I accept." Kyoko said, her tone inferring that the challenge she had just accepted was a fight to the death rather than a spot of heavy cleaning and manual labour.

After that, the journey back to LME was completed in a heavy silence, from which Kamio-san bolted as soon as humanly possible.


	4. Cinder-Kyoko Part 1

_**Disclaimer**_ _:_ I still own nothing for the duration :)

Will Kyoko be able to attend the ball – uh – audition?

* * *

 **Cinder Kyoko – Part 1**

Kyoko arrived at Takewara studio at six-twenty the next morning to get started on her list of tasks, armed with a burning determination, her best dress and her own personal set of marigold gloves. This determination was not in the least bit doused upon learning that no one else had yet arrived and the building was locked, and she used the time she would have to spend waiting to gain admittance by mentally reviewing the list.

First was simply listed to arrive at an appropriate time. She could only think this was a test of planning, and had decided to arrive as early as she could in order to get everything else on the list done in good time.

Second, she was to clean and wax the dance floor that had been built specially for the audition, and in this task she was confident. All she would have to do is draw on her Love Me work experience from what felt like a lifetime ago and not go overboard with the wax. She was certain Kamio-san would be far from impressed if she generated a surface akin to an ice-rink and caused anyone to break their neck.

Next she was tasked with assisting the stylist and set designers with their preparations if she finished the first task in time. She got the idea that not finishing the first task in time would result in an automatic disqualification, and was something of a test in itself. She was confident in this chore also; she could fetch and carry with the best of them, she would just have to be mindful of not taking too long with the dance floor.

After that she was to man the refreshment stand that served water bottles to the participants. This, she supposed, was intended to be simply demeaning as she couldn't see how it was difficult or unpleasant. The thought of embarrassing herself by serving her fellow actresses was not something that frightened Kyoko.

Once the caterers turned up, she was to help set out the lunches for the judges (participants were expected to bring their own food). She wasn't sure what this was testing for, but as long as she got the right lunch in the right place for the right judge it should be fine. Perhaps it was about attention to detail or something? Whatever, it was something she could do without any issues she could think of.

After that she had to freshen up the shoes during the hour-long intermission for the judges lunch. There were high heels for the participants and dress shoes for the fleet of male dancers that had been hired. This promised to be not particularly nice or exciting but hardly complicated either. Perhaps she might need a peg for her nose, but otherwise it was entirely doable.

Following the lunch interval was the final task of cleaning the room in which the judges had eaten. It was for this that she had brought the marigolds, to boost her enthusiasm during the final furlong.

If she could do all this without screwing up, then she would have proved her dedication to Kamio-san and be allowed to take part in the audition. She glanced down at the plastic-protected dress she had hooked over her arm and took a deep breath. Moko-san had helped her pick it out a month ago and was very possibly the nicest, most expensive thing she owned right now. She hoped she would get the chance to wear it.

The sound of footsteps behind her knocked her out of her internal musings and she turned to find a woman with immaculate hair and jug-handle ears.

"Um... hello? Can I help you?" the woman said, clearly surprised at Kyoko's presence if her rapid blinking was anything to go by.

Kyoko dropped into a bow. "Good morning, I'm Kyoko and I've been tasked with assisting you today."

"Oh! Yes, Nanami mentioned you. Wow, you're really... early. I thought for sure I'd be the first one here today." she said, reaching up a hand to tug on her oversized left ear lobe in what appeared to be an unconscious nervous tick. "Right, sorry. I'm Higa Fuyuka, head stylist."

"Pleased to meet you, Higa-san." Kyoko said with a polite bow.

"Oh, please just call me Fuyuka – my husband also works for Seventh Heaven as a photographer so 'Higa-san' can get confusing when we're both in the same place."

Kyoko nodded, her determination to get started so burning that she almost began to vibrate and only just noticed the awkward silence that descended.

"Um, here, I'll unlock the doors shall I?"

Kyoko managed to reign in her enthusiasm and take a step back. She couldn't help but rush through after Fuyuka-san though. She stuck close behind the woman as she made her way through the various corridors into the main studio which prompted more than one nervy laugh on the way.

The studio was one of the larger ones Kyoko had experience of, the sort that reminded her of a warehouse with its rectangular layout and high ceilings. There were three doors on one of the long sides of the room and one at the back on the short side. The dance floor had been built down the farthest end of the room; a large raised square topped wooden boards and a set of three steps on one side. There was a table already set up in front of it where Kyoko presumed the judges would be seated when things got underway.

There were a large number of curtained frames on wheels, folding tables and other set props scattered around the place that would surely be used to dress up the surrounding area.

"You can put your things in there." Fuyuka-san said, distracting Kyoko from her inspection and pointing to one of the doors on the longer side of the room.

Kyoko nodded and immediately barrelled through it into what she found to be a large changing room. She dropped her possessions off in a corner, not wanting to take one of the lockers just yet with her participant status still in question. She took great care to hang her dress then returned to Fuyuka-san.

"The dance floor's over there," Fuyuka-san said, a little redundantly as the large structure was impossible to miss. "The mops and polish and stuff are there in the storage room."

"Thank you very much." she said, pouncing on an unsuspecting mop and running off to find a tap with which to fill the bucket. After adding the cleaning fluid she rolled up her sleeves and descended upon the floor, scrubbing it until the wood was sparkling and begging for mercy.

Next she began the wax and polish, being careful not to go overboard and in just under two hours the entire task was complete. Kyoko wiped the light sweat that had formed on her forehead with the back of her hand, nodded approval at her work and put the cleaning equipment away. Her arms and shoulders were a little sore, but she felt confident in having done a good job and she felt her energy levels were still high enough to continue with enthusiasm.

She looked around for Fuyuka-san and almost yelped as she realised that several other people had arrived without her noticing. The room was also now a good way through a complete aesthetic transformation. Trying not to be too unnerved by all the changes she'd been oblivious to, she spotted Fuyuka-san hauling out wracks of high heels and men's dress shoes from the storage room that had also housed her mop from and went to report the completion of her task.

"Finished already?" Fuyuka-san asked in a somewhat dubious tone. She abandoned the fancy footwear she had been wrestling with a moment to inspect the floor and gave a low whistle. "I'm impressed. That was fast but you did a pretty good job."

"Thank you." Kyoko said with a smile. "I believe I need to help you set up now."

"Ah, I wasn't expecting you to turn up so early and, well, I never thought you'd finish the floor in time. And certainly not on your own. My assistants were going to help you when they arrived, but, um, you looked so scary – I mean determined! – that we thought we'd leave you to it until time ran out then help you finish off. We all got started on setting up instead." Fuyuka-san said, tugging on her ear lobe and looking flustered. "It's not even eight-thirty and you're already done all by yourself, I didn't expect that... Um, would you like to take a break until the audition starts at ten? I think you've earned it. Or I guess you could help us finish setting up if you like, though there's not much left to do…"

Kyoko shrugged. While she was here she might as well make herself useful. "I can help you finish up if that's okay?"

"Sure, thanks. All that's left really is making sure the shoes are all in order by size and wrangling a few of these blasted curtain things."

Kyoko nodded and moved to help with dragging things around out then checking that the shoes were arranged correctly. This was accomplished quickly, and she was able to get a head start on setting up the table for dispensing water bottles. By nine-thirty she, and indeed everyone else, was left with nothing to do until the first applicants started arriving.

The room was now divided in two lengthways by a line of curtain dividers with the dance floor all but cordoned off in its own half. The rest of the room was divided in two. One half had a registration table set up near the entrance, a refreshment stand and signs pointing out useful things like the changing room and toilets, while the other seemed to be empty and would be good, Kyoko supposed, for organising people when they were about to go on or off for their turn at the audition.

So far, things were going well she thought as she returned the smile of one of the assistants who was clearly enjoying her unexpected break. Tentative hope blossomed in her chest. If she was lucky, the rest of the day would continue on in the same way unless something unexpected happened.

* * *

Ando Shizuka threw open the doors of Takewara studio and entered with a literal bang, her confidence high as everyone turned to look her way for a moment. She took purposeful strides towards the registry desk, knowing without looking that most of the actresses she had concerns about would not be attending.

Following an evening spent calling her 'friends' to wish them luck she had discovered that the recent flu outbreak had claimed every competitor she knew personally and ranked above a moderate threat. She had even been able to put her acting skills to a practical test as she feigned regret at their predicament. Of course there were others she wasn't on a first name basis with that she had to worry about, but still things were working out better than she could have hoped for so far.

Shizuka gave her name and thanked the girl on the registry desk as she handed over a participant number and pointed to the changing room. She began moving towards it at a more sedate pace, taking the opportunity to scan the crowd as she went and trying to size up the competition without being too aggressive or obvious about it. About halfway to her destination her smile was just a little larger – so far so good, but she knew she couldn't afford to get ahead of herself just yet.

Then she saw it; a flash of pink.

Over by the back wall was she spotted a distinctive set of gaudy overalls that set alarm bells ringing in her head. Her smile fell away as memories of the last time she'd encountered something that pink overwhelmed her. She'd been guest-starring in a middling high-school drama, hoping to contrive a permanent role out of it by upstaging the main characters. Things had been going well right up until she'd met Kyoko.

The transformation of a mousy thing in pink overalls into Natsu had given her chills. Kyoko hadn't just been pretending to someone else, she _was_ someone else. She'd been the one thing in the floundering drama series worth taking notice of. That level of raw talent was something to fear. Shizuka knew her own talent pool was hardly deep when it came to pure acting, though she could recognise it in others well enough.

Then there was the grudge. Shizuka wasn't the best actress, true, but in her looks she had few rivals and she knew the force of her charisma was in a league of its own. She crafted her image with care, presenting herself as a dazzling goddess descended upon the earth from a place of dreams and fantasy. She could make sitting still and thinking into something so sexually charged it had people holding their breath in awe.

When she stood next to another woman, she highlighted their flaws, drew all the attention and dominated most scenes with the sheer force of her sensuality. This left her with a rather limited scope of roles but so long as she held the spotlight she was fine with that. Use what you had and all that. As long as you could drop jaws and make an impact, it didn't matter how you did it. That was how fame worked; find your niche and work it until you got to the top.

Shizuka had no problem exploiting her looks for fame and recognition, and she was damn good at it. During her Box-R guest spot, however, Kyoko had been the one to upstage _her_.

Shizuka had always considered herself a lioness, but Kyoko had made her feel like a skittish gazelle for the first time in her life. Somehow a hundred little nuances had added up to create the force of nature that was Natsu, and Kyoko had earned the dropped jaws and stunned silences that day. All eyes had been on her, even though Shizuka was right there next to her.

That was something Shizuka could never forgive and her eyes hardened as she watched Kyoko now. She was so distracted she nearly ran into the back of another girl who appeared to have stopped dead to level a glare in the same direction.

"She's not supposed to be here." Shizuka heard the other girl mutter through what sounded like clenched teeth, though before she could analyse the situation further an older woman was shoving past them both. Luckily she recognised the woman as Kamio Kimiko before she snapped and managed to paste on a bright smile instead.

Kamio ignored her and marched up to the pink creature. Shizuka bit her lip; if Kyoko had some sort of professional relationship with Kamio it would bode ill. She casually changed course to gather more information and shot a glare at the other girl when she moved to do the same.

As she got closer, Shizuka felt her brows draw together in confusion. Kyoko appeared to be manning the refreshment stand and was handing out water bottles to the milling actresses. She seemed to have an efficient system set up and no one had to wait long; Kamio was first in line in no time and Shizuka missed the first part of their conversation.

"Just don't forget," she heard Kamio say in a stern tone as she took an offered bottle, "You've still got a long way to go. They tell me you've done a good job so far but I won't let you enter this audition until you finish every task I set you, understand?"

"Yes, Kamio-san." Kyoko replied with a determined look.

"Until four pm nothing is decided!" Kamio said with a decisive nod, looking vaguely put out and more than a little disconcerted, then turned on her heel and walked away.

Shizuka frowned as she took it all in, then set a speculative gaze on her unknown companion when the girl uttered a string of swear words under her breath.

"So, you're acquainted with Kyoko?" she asked after a brief but thorough appraisal.

The girl turned a sneer on her. "Yeah."

"I'm not too fond of dear Kyoko if you want to know the truth, I take it you feel the same way?"

"Yeah." The sneer this time was aimed at Kyoko and Shizuka smiled.

"She's not too much to look at, but I've found she can be dangerous."

"Yeah."

"My, aren't we articulate?" Shizuka said in a biting tone, feeling annoyance start to gnaw. The other girl's sneer was redirected back to her again.

"Whatever. What do you want?"

Shizuka pursed her lips. "It seems as though dear Kyoko won't be able to take part in this audition should she find herself unable to perform these duties set by miss Kamio by four o'clock."

"So what?" the girl snapped. "I hope she fails." she added in a softer, darker tone.

"So, I'd say it's in both our interests to _**ensure**_ such a thing doesn't come to pass, rather than just _**hope**_ this outcome happens on its own." she said and waited for understanding to dawn in the girl's eyes. it took a while, but it eventually happened. "I'm Ando Shizuka, by the way. I'm pleased to meet you."

"Nanokura Mimori. A pleasure." the girl returned after subjecting her to a long, hard look.

Shizuka grinned, Mimori grinned back. They shook hands and a vicious, dark alliance was born.


End file.
